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In the last 25 years or so, football has witnessed plenty of modifications in its various aspects. There have been revised tactics, new formations and technical developments that have transformed the standards of the game.And amidst all of it, we have been blessed with a plethora of talents who progressed with passing time and converted themselves into world-class talents, some of whom established their legacies as icons of the modern game. But sorting out the best 11 from a vast group of stars can be immensely tough.However, based on their individual and collective merits, we have narrowed them down and here is our list of the Greatest XI of the last 25 years.
#1 Goalkeeper: Oliver Kahn
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Few goalkeepers have had the intimidating presence inside the 18-yard-box as former Germany Goalkeeper Oliver Kahn who kicks off our list of Greatest XI of the last 25 years as the first entrant. Kahn's career in professional football started off with Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich in 1994 and he remained with them for the rest of his career until he retired in 2008.
Aggressive by nature and a daunting figure between the posts, Kahn was one of the most successful German players in the last two decades who excelled for both country and club. Till date, he remains as the only goalkeeper who has ever won the Golden Ball in a World Cup tournament which was justified by his commanding performance at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
With his club, he claimed eight Bundesliga titles, six DFB-Pokals and a Champions League trophy in 2001. Known as Vol-Kahn-O, Kahn was an instrumental figure who put on memorable individual performances to rescue his team from tough situations.
He was rewarded with the Best European Goalkeeper awards on four occasions and maintained consistency throughout his career.
#2 Right Back: Cafu
Brazil have been a dominant force ever since professional football came to the fore. And in their rich illustrious history on the international scene, they have been blessed with some incredible wing backs who have revolutionised the position. Ranging from the great Carlos Alberto of the legendary ‘70s Selecao squad to the skillful Dani Alves of the modern game, the Samba land have had icons who mastered their craft on the wide positions.
But amongst all of them, Cafu is one name that distinctively stands out as one of the greatest that the game has ever seen; evident from the consistency he displayed in terms of both performances and accolades that he garnered over a two-decade long career.
Gifted with flair in his boots and a unique eye to read his surroundings, Cafu redefined the position of a wing back. Beginning his career in Sao Paulo’s youth team back in 1990, Cafu anchored himself in the right-back position and went on to feature for the national side in three World Cups. He became the only player to feature in three World Cup finals and won the tournament in 1994 and 2002, captaining the latter squad.
In terms of club football, Cafu’s first major signing for a European club came in 1997 when he penned down a deal with Italian outfit AS Roma. With Roma, he won a Scudetto in 2001 and also bagged his first SuperCoppa Italiana with i Giallorossi. After his tenure with Roma, he completed a move to the San Siro and won his second Scudetto and his first Champions League medal with Italian giants AC Milan.
Cafu concluded his glorious career in Milan as he bid farewell to professional football in 2008.
#3 Centre Back: Paolo Maldini
Milan legend Paolo Maldini has been often described by many as the greatest defender the game has ever seen. The Rossoneri icon was an integral part of Milan’s golden period and won five Champions League medals in his 25-year-long career at the Meazza.
Maldini started off as a left-back and played there in the initial stages of his career. He shifted towards a central role as his career progressed and attained more success in that position while partnering with Alessandro Nesta. Opponents often labelled him as the toughest defender they had come up against. He was to defending what Ronaldo (El Fenomeno) was to attack, what Zidane was to playmaking. Tight marking, speed, technically gifted and one of the finest ball-playing defenders; Maldini was an epitome of versatility
Nicknamed Il Capitano by his compatriots, Maldini captained the national team for several years and reached the finals of World Cup 1994 and Euro 2000 with the Azzurri. However, on the international circuit, the footballing gods didn’t favour the San Siro legend as on both occasions, he ended up on the losing side. Even without a major laurel for Italy, his incredible performances earned him a place in FIFA’s World Cup Dream Team.
His club run, on the other hand, was almost flawless as he claimed every major trophy with Milan in his glorious tenure with the club. With 26 trophies which included 7 Serie A titles, Maldini called it a day in 2009 and his retirement was honoured by the Red and Black army as they retired his no.3 shirt.
#4 Centre Back: Alessandro Nesta
Partnering Maldini in our list of greats is his former Milan and Italy team-mate Alessandro Nesta. Just like his compatriot, Nesta was regarded as one of the best in his position and was renowned for his combination with Maldini. His artistic tackles which were perfectly timed along with the ability to man mark opponents effectively made him a nuisance for his attacking adversaries.
In a career that spanned over two decades, Nesta’s time in Europe was spread over two clubs – Lazio and Milan. His spell at Lazio was indelible and a significant tenure as well for the world took note of a young defender who made headlines by winning the Serie A Defender of the Year on three occasions between 2000 to 2002. After bagging one Scudetto and two Coppa Italia with Le Aquile, Nesta headed off to Milan in 2002.
Upon arriving in Milan, he won his first Champions League medal in his first season itself. With a formidable defensive line at its disposal which consisted of colossal defenders like Maldini, Stam, Cafu and Costacurta, Nesta became a part of Milan’s second golden generation under Carlo Ancelotti that went on to win another Champions League which Nesta was enormously responsible for, thus avenging the 2005 final loss to Liverpool.
Nesta represented Italy for about a decade and was part of the squad that won the World Cup in 2006 although his impact was minimal as he was out injured after the group stages.
#5 Left Back: Roberto Carlos
One of Brazil’s revolutionary wing-backs that graced the game and redefined the position entirely, Roberto Carlos features in our compilation of greatest XI of the last 25 years. Deemed as the most attacking minded full-back the game has ever seen, Carlos represented the Selecao in three World Cups and ended up as the winner of the tournament in 2002.
While he possessed a wide amount of traits such as speed, skill, stamina, long throw-ins and more, his most unique contribution to the sport was his blistering long rangers that earned him the name “The Bullet Man”. Carlos executed shots over 105 km/hr on a consistent basis, especially when he took free kicks. His extraordinary free kick goal against France in a warm-up game before the World Cup has been considered as one of the most unique moments in the history of the sport.
His club career was even more impressive especially taking his 11-year career at the Santiago Bernabeu into account. As a left back for Los Blancos, Carlos won the La Liga title in four seasons and won three Champions League trophies with Real Madrid.
#6 Central Midfield: Xavi Hernandez
Much of Barcelona’s dominance during the period between 2008 and 2012 has been credited with the tactical genius of Pep Guardiola and his profound managerial ways. The former Blaugrana manager instilled a revised version of total football since taking over at the Nou Camp which is known as Tiki Taka today. But every general requires his soldiers to win a war and he acquired that selfless figure in the form of El Maestro – Xavi.
One of the graduates from the invaluable crop of Barca’s youth academy, La Masia, Xavi orchestrated the golden generation of Barca’s midfield alongside with his partners in crime, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets. He became the embodiment and core reason behind Barca enforcing the tiki-taka style of play and with one of world’s best playerx in Lionel Messi in the Catalan outfit’s frontline, Barca went on to achieve unprecedented success under Guardiola winning their first ever treble in 2008/09 and capping off the season with a sextuple.
The success crossed over to the international scene as Barca’s success was replicated by Spain’s football team who created history by winning back to back Euros in 2008 and 2012 respectively and achieved their first ever World Cup trophy in 2010. And Xavi, as always, was at the heart of their tremendous run, pulling the strings from his playmaking role before he retired from the international format following a disappointing World Cup in Brazil.
Xavi announced his departure from the Camp Nou after the 2014/15 season concluded as he finished on the highest note possible after he achieved a historic second treble with his team. Thus ended a tremendous career that was decorated with 31 trophies and labelled as one of Spain’s all-time greats.
#7 Central Midfield: Clarence Seedorf
Football philosopher and visionary Johan Cruyff’s contribution has been invaluable over the years. The former Dutch attacker has been responsible for changing the landscape of the game with concepts that were well ahead of his time. And one of this best discoveries – by his talent agency in Holland to be precise – was Clarence Seedorf who in time peaked and transformed into one of the best midfielders of his generation.
Seedorf was one of Ajax’s youth academy graduates among several other talented Dutch players and was promoted to the senior side with whom he won the Champions League medal in 1995. After attaining considerable success under Louis van Gaal in Netherlands, he made a high-profile switch to Spain and joined the likes of Raul, Zidane, Carlos and others at Real Madrid.
With Real, Seedorf bagged a couple more Champions League trophies thus winning three overall in his total career. Just prior to the commencement of Real’s Galactico project, Seedorf departed for Italy where he signed a deal with European elites AC Milan.
With manager Carlo Ancelotti’s Milan dominating Europe at the time, Seedorf won yet another Champions League title in 2007 and became one of the most successful players in the tournament, winning it with three different clubs.
#8 Attacking Midfield: Zinedine Zidane
How can I explain poetry when you haven’t watched Zidane play?
Quite simply put, Zinedine Zidane was exemplary – a quintessential artist who portrayed a beautiful picture every time the ball was at his feet. An example of absolute elegance and class personified, Zidane dazzled the world with his dribbling, exquisite touches and unbelievable ball control. The former France international is synonymous with the 360-degree turn and it became a signature act of his play.
The pinnacle moment of his illustrious career was the 1998 World Cup final win on home soil against favourites Brazil as his marvellous performance that night helped France sweep the South American giants 3-0 and claim their first and only World Cup trophy. A couple of years later, France’s golden generation continued to dominate the international scene as they followed up their 1998 triumph with a Euro win in 2000.
After establishing his status as a national hero, the French midfielder made a move to Spain as he joined La Liga giants Real Madrid in 2001. Expectations were soaring amongst the Bernabeu faithful especially due to the record transfer fee then (€75 million) which Madrid had spent to land him from Juventus. And the dividends were paid in full as his exceptional volley won them their ninth Champions League title in 2002 against Bayern Leverkusen.
Zidane’s heroics on the international scene were revisited in 2006 as he came out of international retirement and guided France to the 2006 World Cup final. The fable in Germany was almost perfect up until the infamous red card incident with Marco Materazzi where he was sent off in the final after head-butting the Italian centre back.
Not a fitting farewell one would have hoped for but nonetheless, his was a legendary career that set the bar for the next generation.
#9 Forward: Cristiano Ronaldo
From a poor kid in Madeira that wanted a home for his family to the biggest global footballing star of the modern game, Cristiano Ronaldo stands as the perfect example of how one can achieve their dreams by sheer hard work, passion and determination.
The Portuguese superstar has ruled the world of football alongside his adversary Lionel Messi and has taken the game to a whole new level with consistent performances and unbelievable stats. The chapter of his life unfolded after Manchester United signed him in 2003 from Sporting Lisbon and from then on, everyone started to witness a rare talent in a teenager that was born to achieve greatness.
After six trophy-laden seasons in Old Trafford including a Champions League medal in 2008, Ronaldo completed is dream switch to Real Madrid in 2009 where he transformed himself into a goalscoring machine and continues to do so even now. For the past six seasons, he has managed to net a minimum of 40 goals for five consecutive seasons which realistically is a ridiculous stat.
Since donning Los Blancos colours, the 30-year-old winger has won a sole La Liga trophy and also attained La Decima glory in 2014. His individual feats do shine brighter when compared to his collective laurels as evident from the two Ballon d’Or prizes (three overall) and three Pichichi (top scorer in Spain) awards.
His rivalry with Messi, and who the best player in the world is, still continues to be a topic that is intensely debated and one which fans never seem to tire of. Regardless of that, Ronaldo has already carved his name in the history books as one of the greatest the game has ever seen.
Blessed with the versatility of attributes such as speed, strength, inhuman aerial abilities, long rangers and precise finishing, Ronaldo seals his spot in our greatest XI squad.
#10 Forward: Lionel Messi
Football pundits have run out of words to describe this once in a lifetime talent, but Lionel Messi still continues to mesmerise the planet with his magical feet. Many have labelled the Argentine as the greatest player ever to the play the game as he constantly continues to draw comparisons to Pele and his predecessor Maradona. But just like his ex-Barcelona manager Guardiola aptly said, “Don't write about him, don't try to describe him. Just watch him.”
Since making his professional debut for Barcelona in 2006, the 28-year-old has gone on to create history as a part of Barcelona’s golden generation under Pep Guardiola, which took a stumble in between after the Spaniard left, but has regained grounds after Luis Enrique’s appointment. By the age of 25, Messi created history by bagging four consecutive Ballon d’Ors (the first player to do so) setting himself apart from the rest as the best in the sport.
If becoming Barcelona’s all-time top scorer wasn’t enough, Messi continued to grace the pitch with his scintillating performances and in 2014/15 season, he became the all-time highest goalscorer in La Liga. As mentioned previously, he and his nemesis Cristiano Ronaldo have been breaking records with ease and have displayed consistency beyond imagination.
Arguably the best product to come out of La Masia ever, Messi repaid Barcelona’s trust in him by winning them numerous trophies including three Champions League crowns, six La Liga titles and two historic trebles. Be it the greatest XI of the last 25 years or of all time, the little magician is more than worthy of attaining his rightful place amongst the greats.
#11 Striker: Ronaldo
When discussions about who the greatest striker the game has ever seen come to the fore, for many experts, Brazil’s Ronaldo is clearly one of the favourite candidates who wins the argument. The former Selecao forward was simply in a league of his own when it came to finishing the play.
Ronaldo arrived in Europe in 1994 as he kicked off his career on the continent with Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven where he spent two seasons before joining Barcelona in 1996. After one season with the Catalan club, he moved to Italy to explore his career in Inter Milan where he remained for five seasons. It was during this time that he began to discover his attributes and transformed into a complete striker.
Scoring goals at an incredible rate, Ronaldo became any opposition’s nightmare and slowly the world began to accept him as the best striker of the game. He was nicknamed Il Fenomeno and his marvellous performances for the blue and black earned him his second FIFA World Player of the Year award.
After three good seasons on an individual level, Ronaldo’s footballing career was in jeopardy after due to his recurring knee injuries which forced him out of action for the entire 2000/01 season and also for most of the 2001/02 season. However, he recovered just in time before the 2002 World Cup where he was reborn after he helped Brazil win their fifth World Cup and ended as the Golden Boot winner of the tournament with 8 goals.
After the tournament, Ronaldo joined Real Madrid as one of the marquee players in president Florentino Perez’s Galacticos squad. Ronaldo continued to show his goalscoring prowess in the Blancos kit with whom he won a La Liga title in 2002/03. However, life after Real was a downward slope for the Brazilian as injuries returned to bother him. After a small stint at AC Milan, he went back to Brazil to play for Corinthians where he announced his retirement in 2011.
With two World Cups for his nation, three FIFA World Player of the Year awards and over 352 goals in a career that was disrupted by injuries, Ronaldo showed the world that he was indeed the Phenomenon of the game.
#12 Manager: Carlo Ancelotti
Realistically speaking, coaching a team of that calibre would be a dream come true job for any high profile manager. But not everyone would be best suited to contain and blend egos of that stature in a dressing room, would they?
A demanding gaffer who likes to be in charge and show that he is the captain of the ship would certainly find it difficult to hold on to the dressing room as evident from Jose Mourinho's spell at Real Madrid. Neither a team tactician like Arsene Wenger nor Sir Alex Fergusson be a perfect fit, who like their squad to follow a certain philosophy, and have never managed such huge egos together at the same time.
But a man who is well capable of maintaining a low profile and at the same time adapt his squad to the resources available is someone who can definitely make this team perform to its full potential. And that is exactly what Carlo Ancelotti has proved over the years as a manager.
Carlo’s first big stint as a coach commenced in 2003 when he was handed over the legendary Milan squad which consisted the likes of Maldini, Nesta, Cafu, Inzaghi and more. He elevated Milan’s legacy in Europe by winning two Champions League titles during his five seasons at the club and managed one of San Siro’s most illustrious squads.
He enhanced his reputation further by proving himself in all the major leagues in the continent. He won the Premier League with Chelsea in 2010 and then moved to France where he won the Ligue 1 title in his second season in charge. Then came the challenge of his managerial career, Real Madrid.
After Mourinho’s departure, Ancelotti was brought in to fulfill La Decima dream which had become a priority for the club. In order to attain that, the Italian mastermind first reunited a dressing room that had fallen apart. He used the players at his disposal to deployed them out of their natural positions which highlighted the adaptability characteristic inside him. He moulded a unit that went on to play some of the most attractive football in recent times which brought home their 10th Champions League title.
As a proven managerial figure that has integrated elite names into a unit and provided results as well, Ancelotti is a fitting name to manage the Greatest XI of the last 25 years squad.
Substitutes: Iker Casillas, John Terry, Andrea Pirlo, Andres Iniesta, Luis Figo, Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry
